They went with the good intention of protecting their businesses but were sent back twice by the courts that branded their motive as "ulterior" and slapped a huge cost on them.
Within a span of six months, GSM operators' lobby group COAI has been slapped with cost of proceedings by courts twice for filing a petition and an application on the issue of dual technology and allotment of additional spectrum.
The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) along with Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Idea Cellular BPL Mobile and Spice Communication, to pay Rs 50,000 each as costs of proceedings.
The Court's direction to COAI to deposit the money with Delhi High Court Legal Service Committee came in a judgement which dismissed GSM lobby group's plea to quash Department of Telecom's decision to allow use of dual technology. Aitel, Vodafone, Idea, BPL and Spice were part of the petition.
Earlier on March 3 this year, the sectoral tribunal TDSAT, which is also hearing the same issue, had imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 on GSM operators' association for filing an application with an "ulterior objective".
"The application which has been moved almost two weeks after the date of the order suggests to me that it is an after thought and has been moved with some ulterior objective and is not bonafide," TDSAT Chairman Justice Arun Kumar had said while dismissing COAI's application.
TDSAT would commence its final hearing over COAI's petition challenging DoT's policy over crossover spectrum fom September 4 next.
